Acorp EM501R super-cheap Android MID gets video demo

Android tablets are gradually separating into two distinct lines: those from well-known manufacturers, who see the Google platform as a strong contender against Apple's newly-christened iOS, and low-cost OEMs and ODMs who choose it for its free distribution. We're hoping the latter group will tip into a heap of super-cheap MIDs and slates on the market, and a reasonable example is the Acorp EM501R. A 4.8-inch MID based on a 600MHz Rockchip ARM9 CPU, Acorp told ARMDevices they'll sell it at just $88 to distributors.

Video demo after the cut

Now, $88 to distributors - who are buying at least 1,000 units - doesn't mean an $88 sticker price on whatever shelves the EM501R might end up on, but it does make for a tablet that could come in not much over $100. At that price, the Android 1.5 OS, resistive touchscreen, microSD slot and 3.5mm headphone jack don't depress us too much.

There also looks to be Flash support on some level, for YouTube video playback, which is more than we can say about most Android smartphones, and Charbax from ARMDevices tells us it'll play back DivX, MKV, MPEG2, AC3, Flac, Ogg Vorbis and many other codecs at up to 720p HD. We're so used to never seeing these gadgets show up on Western shores; please, someone, surprise us.